Ever since the “Red Wine Does Your Health Good” frenzy overtaking the health industry, the active substance Resveratrol, responsible for red wine’s health benefits, has generated a lot of media interest similar to what Pycnogenol (Maritime pine bark extract) once harnessed.
I have been taking supplements of Resveratrol for a few years now, ever since its first introduction at crazy prices. Now you can simply get it for free. I never figured out whether it “works” or not, until I organized a massive skincare product review in 2008 that showed it does in fact deliver results.
Several commercial skin care preparations contain Resveratrol but I never tried them. The deep purple red hue of Resveratrol makes it hard to apply to your skin care because of the color. I use it in small doses blended together with other antioxidants and plant extracts (grape seed). The deep, dark coloring of Resveratrol (natural antioxidants usually contain colorful pigments) is never seen in any commercial skin creams. You can probably save your money on so-called Resveratrol creams because it probably does not absorb well by the skin surface.
In general, it’s much more convenient taking Resveratrol in a pill rather than using it on my face, and it’s probably not too efficient when trying to be absorbed by the skin. Other than being a potent, wide-range free radical scavenging anti-oxidant (added bonus: Resveratrol does not induce more oxidation like Ascorbic acid/Vitamin C), Resveratrol has potent anti-viral, cancer preventive, radio-protective, and anti-fungal properties. As a natural substance, I feel that Resveratrol “works synergistically” and safely, unlikely to cause danger or overdose.
Other benefits Resveratrol can deliver for you:
If you want a good Resversatrol product, I’d highly recommend Vital RezV. You can read our review of the actual product here.